


a lesson in flying.

by nonbinarybabadook



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: and the idea of maka having glowing blue wings? wow. amazing, because i hate that idea, maka has wings instead of soul turning into a broomstick, they're queer platonic partners
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-15 12:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20866556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonbinarybabadook/pseuds/nonbinarybabadook
Summary: Maka learns how to fly in a rather drastic way, with the help of Soul.Basically, trust falling to the extreme!





	a lesson in flying.

**Author's Note:**

> i feel like it's important for people to know this is called "we gon fly tonight boys" in my google docs. since all of my works aren't titled the same thing in google docs as here, i'll probably make a note at the beginning or the end if anyone is interested. 
> 
> if anyone is interested in more of maka's wings, please comment/let me know somehow! i have a lot of ideas, and i'll probably include them in future fics, as i hate how the manga handles her grigori soul. 
> 
> enjoy!

Once upon a time, Maka Albarn was afraid of heights. 

_You’ll have wings!_ everyone said, as if it was easy. Soul knew she was nervous, because there wasn’t a way to hide it from him, but the longer Maka sat on the edges of rooftops and stared down at the ground was starting to worry him. 

She couldn’t sleep well, restless and pushing herself off the bed as if her soul was begging her to fly and kept throwing her off to make it happen. Soul didn’t mind being woken up every time, and found himself grateful for the millionth time that they sleep in the same bed. He wouldn’t have woken up to experience it with her if she’d been in another room with how quiet she can be. 

They don’t know when they started resonating in their sleep, but once it started, it was a comfort neither of them wanted to be deprived of. Resonation had long since turned into a safe space for them, after having weathered as many battles as they have through their combined sheer force of will, and being able to sleep without fear of what comes in the dark made rest possible. The black blood used to nip at Soul’s heels whenever he closed his eyes, and Maka’s mind was a cruel thing, taunting her with memories and possible failures that brought her to tears. Sound sleep was something both of them desperately needed, and if that meant occasionally waking up with some of Soul’s drool on her arm and her hair in his mouth, it was a small price. 

Tonight, however, might prove to be one of the more difficult nights of their lives. 

_Just fly already. I know you want to. What’s holding you back?_

Maka never expected her own face to be tormenter she faced in the dark, empty space she finds herself trapped in. It feels impossibly high in the air despite there being no floor, with invisible glass walls pressing her in, trapping her from running from the cruel smile in front of her. 

“Leave me alone!” She knows her only defense is her words and willpower, but the helplessness she feels makes her roar sound like a whimper. Her reflection steps closer, slapping her hands on the glass with wild eyes. Involuntarily, Maka shrinks further into herself, the box squeezing her tighter. She doesn’t recognize herself like this, and she hopes no one ever sees it.

_I know what it is,_ her nightmare purrs, tilting its head at her. Its breath fogs the glass as it leans closer, twisting to be eye level with her, _”Fear.”_

“I’m not scared!” she screams, enough fight being spurred from the constant thing thrown into her face letting her slam her fists against the glass. It’s not an effective hit, and when the nightmare grins unnaturally and presses its forehead against the barrier, she snatches her hands back into the safety of her knees pressed to her chest. 

_Yes you are,_ it leaves dirty prints behind as it drags its hands down, sinking further down to look up at her from the nonexistent floor. _Of what? Falling?_

Maka bites her lip viciously, hoping she can wake herself up. If she can just wake up, she can hold Blair close to her chest and let her purring calm her, and Soul can reassure her it’s only a dream. Maka would rather stay up all night and let their sleep be enough for her. This -- this nightmare is something she hasn’t experienced before, and it’s scarier than the memories. 

_I know what it is!_ It looks absolutely delighted with itself, pressing its nose against the glass. _You’re not scared of falling! You’re scared of landing!_

Blinking, Maka pulls her legs closer to her, unable to retreat as much as she wants to. “No -- No I’m not! I just can’t fly! I don’t know what kind of wings we’re supposed to have!” 

_You don’t want to get hurt. You don’t want Soul to get hurt._ She flinches, and her nightmare cackles. _That’s it! You’re scared you’re going to mess up and hurt you both._ It reaches for the glass like it can cradle her cheek.

Maka gasps, pushing her feet against the wall as if she could push herself back further. Its hand, thankfully, doesn’t pass through, but the spike of -- of -- leaves Maka with a racing heart and short breaths. Looking through its fingers at her, it grins. 

_You’re afraid._

“No! I’m not scared!” Maka shakes her head, trying to banish the voice and dismiss it, but it echoes, repeating over and over internally, her organs and blood agreeing with it. 

_Let go. Fall._

“I can’t!” she screams, pushing her hands into her head. “Wake up! Wake up!” 

_Yes you are! Admit it!_

“No!”

_Say it!_

“I’m scared!” she screams instead of what she planned on denying until she woke. Once it’s been released, she can’t stop, “I’m fucking terrified! How am I supposed to find out how to make wings from nothing?! No one knows if I’ll have wings or if Soul will, and I can’t risk him getting hurt! If I fuck up at a tall height, I could kill him!”

_Finally! Good. That’s good. Now---_

“Maka!” Soul’s voice rips through the nightmare, shattering the glass. Her nightmare shifts back into a normal reflection, looking up into the darkness and smiling. It meets her eyes again, but it looks at her with a confidence she wishes she had, especially after screaming all of her fears. The floor drops out from under her, sending her cascading into the darkness. She’s not even able to scream before the voice takes her own to form one word.

_Fly._

“Maka! Wake up!” Soul’s voice makes her eyes snap open, only to become aware of the air rushing past her. Maka can see the edge of the roof she must have just jumped off of. Soul’s arms are wrapped around her, trying to twist them in the air so he’s positioned to take most of the impact when they hit the ground. 

Something in her opens, and when she looks at Soul, her soul’s light is glowing in her eyes. 

Wrapping her arms around him, two wings made of the blue light of her soul snap open behind her, catching the air and saving them from crashing with only a few feet left. A determination she didn’t know she had fills her, and the wings work hard, keeping them both off the ground for several shocked heartbeats. She’s able to control the wings long enough to set them down, but Maka’s strength gives out the second she touches the ground. Managing to sit instead of sprawl awkwardly on the concrete, Maka looks into Soul’s face, finding the same shock there, but also seeing a chilling mask of fear that she hates. 

“What happened?” 

“What happened?! You sleep walked off the roof!” 

“What?” Dazed, Maka looks up, seeing their apartment building looming in front of them. 

“You scared the shit out of me, Maka!” 

“I’m sorry! I don’t know what happened! I was having this dream --- and then I woke up falling through the air! This is stressful for me too, Soul!” 

“I know it is! But you didn’t just watch your partner walk off a roof without being able to stop them!” 

Maka’s mouth snaps closed. The fear and adrenaline coursing through her is calming now that she’s on the ground, and her body’s thrown itself into fighting mode, slowing her heart rate and tightening its hold on her fear to spur her on. 

Shaking her head, Maka rubs her hands down her face, trying to find the words to say --- _anything_ that’ll help them both in this moment. 

“I’m sorry,” is all she manages, a rough whisper that feels like a croak. 

Closing his eyes, Soul sighs heavily, collapsing against her on the ground. His head rests on her shoulder, forehead pressing against her neck and wrapping his arms around her, squeezing her just as tightly as when they were falling from the roof. 

“What was I doing?” 

“You were just walking. You sat up in bed, put Blair on me and got up. I tried getting your attention, but it was like you couldn’t hear me at all. I tried to stop you, but you just shook me off and kept walking. When you started to go up the stairs and still didn’t answer me, I got scared and yelled for Blair, but I don’t know if she heard me. Then you came up here, and no matter what I did --- I tried to pull you back, tried to stop you, push you away from the edge --- you just kept going. And you walked right off.” 

“And you jumped after me?” she asks, shocked and approaching anger.

“Of course I did! What else was I supposed to do? It was like you were possessed!” he almost sits up to yell at her face, but she hugs him tightly, keeping him in place. She still feels like she’s falling, and Soul is her anchor, keeping her on the ground. 

“I was having a dream.” He’s quiet instantly, waiting. “I was in this glass box, and I was looking at another version of myself. It kept taunting me, trying to get me to admit I was scared of heights, and of falling. When I did, I woke up and ---” 

Soul shifts to look over her shoulder at the wings still glowing faintly behind them. They’re not connected physically to her body, but float a few inches behind her as if not completely tethered to her. He didn’t realize that they were the only light source nearby until he sees them, squinting at the brightness. 

“They’re cool.” 

“Are they? I haven’t seen them yet.” 

“Yeah. They look like fire.” 

Spurred by curiosity, Maka tries to turn her head, but the wings evade her vision, moving with her. A knife of frustration digs into her mind, and she nearly shoves Soul off of her to chase them like a dog trying to catch its tail. 

“Stop it,” he says gently, his soul reaching out for hers. With a sigh of relief, Maka’s soul wraps around his, falling into the comfort of resonance. 

Neither of them expect her wings to explode in a bright light that causes them both to flinch, or for the difference when they open their eyes. 

Her wings surround them, glowing with the same color as her soul. Soul was right --- where there should be feathers are dripping flames, flickering in a constant burn. What surprises her, however, is how big they suddenly are. Twice as long as her height, the wings look like something out of a painting of an angel, but the ones where people cower in fear and shock hung on the walls of churches. If Maka had tried to imagine what kind of wings she had, she’d never have guessed these would be it. 

Soul touches one of them, making her jump and snatch it away without thinking. She has no idea how she even moved it, but she scowls at the side of Soul’s head. 

“Did I hurt you?” 

“No, it was like…” Maka searches for the right words, scratching at the back of her head, “it’s like you poked my brain somewhere deep in my skull, and now it itches.” 

“Huh,” is his only reply before trying to poke at the other one. 

“Stop that!” she pokes him in the side, making him twitch in her grip and make him withdraw his hand. 

“Hey, hey! Don’t tickle me, Maka! Not cool!” 

“Don’t make my brain itch!” 

A sudden and complete silence falls between them, lasting several seconds before they both burst out laughing. The fear drains from their bodies, leaving behind an exhaustion that feels bone deep. Laughing makes them feel lighter, though, and Soul pushes himself up. Standing, he offers Maka his hand, glancing side to side at the wings spread wide behind her instead of her face until she stands, too. 

The wings shatter the second they let go of each other, glittering blue shards raining down around them. It looks like magic, and they both marvel in silence until the light fades entirely, and they’re left in darkness, the light fixture three stories up struggling to illuminate the area below. 

“Well. That was cool.” 

Maka laughs, rubbing her shoulder, unsure if she feels them or not. It’s like a ghost of a heavy backpack, and knowing she’ll have to pick it back up soon. The wings themselves… she couldn’t feel them, or control them yet, leaving her with more questions than reassurances. 

“Come on,” Soul breaks her thoughts by pulling her arm back towards the apartment, “I’m exhausted. If you wake up before ten o’clock tomorrow, I will personally duct tape you to the bed.” 

“That sounds excessive.” 

The glare he sends her way is half hearted. “You haven’t slept for almost three days, you just jumped off a roof, exhausted your soul wavelength, nearly killed us both --”

“I didn’t tell you to jump after me,” she grumbles.

“-- and didn’t even eat dinner,” he continues, choosing to not address that comment, “So, we’re going to sleep, we’re going to sleep for at least eight hours, and when we get up, I’ll make a hearty breakfast so you grow big and strong.” 

She’s laughing when they get back into the apartment, and Blair’s instantly fussing. 

“Maka! Are you okay?! Where did you go? Are you hurt, kitten?” Blair squishes Maka’s cheeks, looking intently into her eyes before checking the rest of her body. Clawed hands rest on her shoulders when Blair is apparently satisfied that Maka is at least physically unharmed, and presses a kiss to her forehead. “You can tell me what happened in the morning.” She glances over Maka’s shoulder to share a concerned look with Soul, but she sees something in his eyes that reassures her more than what she can find in Maka’s.

Stretching, Blair arches her body with a long sigh before disappearing into a purple cloud. She pounces out onto Maka’s shoulder, rubbing her face against her jawline. “Let’s go back to bed, already! You interrupted my beauty sleep! A lady needs her rest to be at her best!” 

Laughing, the three of them go back to their room and settle back into bed. Instantly, Soul’s soul reaches out to her, and Maka gladly sinks into their easy resonance. She’s afraid she won’t be able to go back to sleep without a few hours of restlessness, but Blair purrs loudly on Maka’s chest, ear over her heart to reassure her, and Soul falls back asleep on his side holding her arm and leaning his forehead against her shoulder, determined in his sleep to not let her sneak out to jump off another roof. 

With a small smile, and an exhale she feels like she’s been holding for weeks, Maka slips into a deep, dreamless sleep.


End file.
